Romania police detain 24 Syrian, Iraqi migrants near border

BUCHAREST, Romania – Romanian border police have detained 24 Syrian and Iraqi migrants on suspicion of trying to illegally cross the border. They told police they were trying to reach the visa-free Schengen zone.

Border police said in a statement that they stopped a truck overnight Sunday near Nadlac, a town in western Romanian near the border with Hungary. They found eight men, three women and 13 minors aged 2 to 16 inside the truck who they took for questioning.

The statement Monday said most of the migrants were asylum-seekers in Romania. The truck was driven by a Romanian man who police are investigating for trafficking migrants.

Police are investigating the migrants on suspicion of illegally trying to cross the border.